"He said he would love to hand the crown over to me" - Stephen Bunting has Luke Humphries' backing in quest to lift PDC World Darts Championship title

Stephen Bunting sent out a statement on Monday evening, convincingly qualifying for the quarter-finals of the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship. 'The Bullet' defeated compatriot Luke Woodhouse 4-0 in the last 16 and now faces Peter Wright.

An unleashed Bunting lost only three legs in the entire match against Woodhouse, much to the delight of the 'Bunting Army' in a packed out Alexandra Palace. “To be in the quarter-finals of the biggest tournament on the planet is a massive honour,” declared Bunting proudly in his post-match press conference. “I feel really fresh and really confident, and I’ve never played in an atmosphere like that before. I believe these fans can take me all the way."

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Bunting had prepared for this World Darts Championship with a few practice sessions with both Luke Humphries and Luke Littler. Although a plotted route to the final pre-tournament would have included beating both of them, after Humphries' shock exit, it's now Peter Wright that lies in wait for Bunting in the quarter-finals instead.

"I’m focussed on one game at a time, one leg at a time, one dart at a time, one throw at a time. It’s pointless me thinking about who I’m going to play because things happen," Bunting explains. "Luke didn’t win. He’s the best player on the planet, he’s unbelievable, but Peter, 70-odd per cent on doubles, played a fantastic game. I probably did expect to play Luke, to be fair, in our practice sessions we talked about playing in the quarters. I kept my end of the bargain and unfortunately Luke just fell short. It wasn’t for lack of trying."

Stephen Bunting meets Peter Wright in the quarter-finals

In fact, Humphries and Bunting have actually spoken since the former's Ally Pally exit and Bunting believes he is the man 'Cool Hand Luke' wants to succeed on January 3rd and lift the Sid Waddell Trophy.

"I spoke to him this morning [Monday] and he wished me luck, he said he would love to hand the crown over to me and give me his World Championship, That means a lot. He’s a massive friend of mine. We’ll continue to practice after this tournament," Bunting reveals. "I know I can go all the way, it’s about doing it."

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